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Deadly start to Fourth of July weekend in St. Louis

"These homicides just keep happening. It's craziness. It's insane. It's abnormal," said the President of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition.

ST. LOUIS — It's a touching memorial outside the 99th Street Convenience Store near Grand and Kossuth in North St. Louis.

Balloons and flowers adorn the car, neighbors say belonged to 18-year-old Bander Abdel-Majed. Nearby candles also blow in the wind, all in memory of the teenager police say was shot multiple times outside his family's business. 

Police say Abdel-Majed died at a hospital.

"He was a young kid man. He was very funny. He tried to make everybody laugh," said neighbor and longtime customer, Callione Barnes.

Right now, police only know that around 2:30 Friday afternoon a man shot Abdel-Majed and then took off.

"It's mind-blowing man. Nothing should warrant a death. I feel so bad for his family. They're really nice people,. He liked working at his family's businesses. They also own the store across the street. It was a senseless death," said Callione Barnes.

5 On Your Side looked at the disturbing numbers and learned as of Thursday police say there had been 101 homicides in the city of St. Louis and on Friday there were five more homicides in a matter of hours.

Add the shooting death of a man in his 20's Saturday, and that brings the total to 107 as of Saturday night.

"It's craziness. It's insane. It's abnormal," said Bishop Elijah Hankerson, the President of the St. Louis Clergy Coalition.

Hankerson says if St. Louis is going to stop gun violence, it must first stop illegal drugs and illegal guns from filtering into the city.

Hankerson calls it "a community fight."

"Yes, it's going to take clergy, it takes educators, it takes civic leaders, and it takes law enforcement all working together. However, it also takes the community.  More people must be willing to step in and report whatever they see when these crimes happen and say enough is enough," added Bishop Hankerson.

Meantime, police have not made any arrests in any of the recent homicides in the city nor have they said anything about motives.

They are asking anyone who has information to call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

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